The driver of an interprovincial passenger bus in Phuket has come under fire over a video showing him with his son sitting on his lap — and using a mobile phone — while teaching the boy to drive.
Facebook user “Mango Maimai” shared her unsettling experience on a Facebook page on Saturday.
She said she phoned Phatthalung Thaksin Co to book a ticket from Phuket to Phatthalung on Friday night. She was told that all the regular seats were booked but she could take an extra seat if she wanted. She agreed and went to Pom Muang Mai in Phuket to board the bus at 9.15pm.
- Watch the video here
When she got on the bus, there was no extra seat, but only standing room. When she complained, a bus attendant directed her to a space behind the driver’s seat where three other women had already squeezed in.
As she was paying the attendant for her ticket, she noticed the driver was teaching his young son to drive, with the boy sitting on his father’s lap and holding the steering wheel.
“The driver kept teaching his son to drive. Worse still, he was making a video call from his mobile phone to chat. I immediately decided to get off the bus at Tha Chatchai (the next stop),” she wrote.
“He doesn’t care for the safety of the passengers on board. This is a passenger bus, not a children’s playground for use as a driving exercise. How many lives are in your hands?”
She posted a video clip on the “Khab Rod Baepnee Tong Prachan” (Driving like this must be denounced) Facebook page on Saturday. Viewers condemned the driver for putting the lives of passengers at risk. Many said he should be fired.